Western Health and Social Care Trust
A woman complained about the care her late husband received in hospital during his treatment for cancer.
Source · Ombudsman decisions
NIPSO Individual Decisions
457 total decisions
192 investigated
139 upheld
72% upheld of investigated
Years: Jul 2000–Mar 2026
457 published decisions from the NI Public Services Ombudsman. The Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman investigates complaints about NI government departments, agencies, councils, and public bodies. Source: nipso.org.uk.
Decisions
Northern Health and Social Care Trust
We asked the Northern Trust to apologise to a man after it failed to properly deal with his request for Continuing Healthcare.
Western Health and Social Care Trust
A man was admitted to Altnagelvin Hospital with severe abdominal pain. Our investigation found that a series of delays in his care and treatment, and a failure to manage his sepsis, contributed to his death.
South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust
A man asked the South Eastern Trust to check whether his mother was entitled to help with her care home fees. We found the Trust failed to properly deal with the request and asked it to re-assess her primary care needs when revised guidance becomes …
Southern Health and Social Care Trust
A complainant raised concerns about how the Southern Trust cared for her vulnerable sister. Our investigation found a number of failings by the Trust.
Northern Health and Social Care Trust
A woman complained that the Northern Trust should have consulted her and her family when making decisions around the care of her late mother. We found the Trust's decision making at the time was appropriate, but were critical of the way it dealt with her …
Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
A man said the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs failed to investigate his reports of unlawful activity by a waste management company. We upheld parts of the complaint.
Northern Health and Social Care Trust
A woman complained that frequent visits by carers caused her brother to experience unnecessary stress and anxiety. We found the visits were undertaken in line with the relevant guidance and procedures.
Northern Health and Social Care Trust
The Northern Trust failed to keep proper records of a patient's food intake, and didn't provide him with insulin after he experienced an episode of hypoglycaemia.
Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
The Belfast Trust failed to keep a proper record of how it responded to allegations from a whistleblower. It should also have informed the resident’s wife of the allegations at an earlier stage.
GP
We investigated a complaint about the treatment a man received from his GP practice shortly before he took his own life. We upheld parts of the complaint.
Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
We investigated how a patient was treated in the Royal Victoria Hospital after he suffered a cardiac arrest. We found that the Belfast Trust carried out all observations, tests and procedures in line with the appropriate policies and guidelines.
Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
The mother of a nine-year old boy who tragically passed away following treatment for a rare form of leukaemia complained about the treatment he received in hospital.
Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
Nursing staff in the Belfast Trust should have referred a patient to doctors after they noticed possible signs of a stroke.
Northern Health and Social Care Trust
We upheld a complaint from a woman who said that her late mother should not have been discharged from Antrim Area Hospital.
Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
A man complained that an injection in his lower back left him in severe constant pain. We found that the Northern Trust carried out the procedure properly, but did not fully explain to the man that it may lead to his symptoms worsening.
Western Health and Social Care Trust
A patient in the Western Trust said her hip surgery caused her ongoing pain, leaving her with anxiety and depression. We found the Trust correctly performed the surgery and gave the patient appropriate post-operative care, but that it should have checked for signs of infection …
GP
We found a GP Practice treated a man's elbow appropriately. However, we believed that the man's complaint about his treatment prompted the Practice to remove him from its list. We said this was unfair.
Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
We found the Belfast Trust was right to encourage a patient with cystic fibrosis to persevere with its chosen course of treatment, but criticised a lack of community dietetic support which left her at potential risk of harm.
Southern Health and Social Care Trust
A man with Crohn’s Disease asked the Southern Trust to provide him with an additional bedroom and bathroom. We found the Trust’s decision to only approve a new bathroom was appropriate.
GP
A breakdown in the relationship between a GP Practice and a patient led to her being removed from its Patient List. We welcomed the staff training delivered by the Practice which followed our investigation.
South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust
A complainant said that if the South Eastern Health Trust had carried out a proper healthcare assessment it might have been responsible for paying her mother’s nursing home fees .
Northern Health and Social Care Trust
A woman complained about the care given to her husband in Antrim Area Hospital in the weeks before his death. We upheld parts of the complaint.
Northern Health and Social Care Trust
A woman whose father died in Causeway Hospital after removing his oxygen mask believed he should have been monitored more closely. She also questioned why the Trust did not commission a review into the incident.
Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
A man questioned why medicine ordered from Scotland to treat his sick wife took two weeks to arrive. We found that the Belfast Trust’s efforts to procure and transport the medicine were reasonable and appropriate.